Method and apparatus for distinguishing between data formats, and communication device

ABSTRACT

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for distinguishing between data formats, and a communication device. The method includes a terminal receives a downlink data packet, and determines whether the data format of the downlink data packet is a first data format or a second data format, wherein the first data format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted using a first key of a source base station and/or compressed using a first header compression format of the source base station, and the second data format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted using a second key of a target base station and/or compressed using a second header compression format of the target base station.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of InternationalApplication No. PCT/CN2019/074608, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FORDISTINGUISHING BETWEEN DATA FORMATS, AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE,” filed onFeb. 2, 2019, which claims the benefit of priority to InternationalPatent Application No. PCT/CN2018/112134, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN DATA FORMATS, AND COMMUNICATION DEVICE”,filed on Oct. 26, 2018, both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of mobilecommunication technologies, and in particular to a method and device fordistinguishing data formats, and a communication device.

Mobility enhancement for reducing handover delay mainly includes twomethods, one is handover based on Dual Connectivity (DC), and the otheris handover based on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB). The DC-basedhandover achieves the effect of handover mainly by adding a target basestation as a Secondary Node (SN) and then changing the SN to a MasterNode (MN) through role change. The eMBB-based handover refers tomaintaining a connection with a source base station while connecting tothe target base station, so as to achieve uninterrupted handover.

There is only one Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity on theterminal side (and also on the network side), which means that the PDCPentity needs to support keys and/or ROHC profiles of both the sourcebase station and the target base station.

SUMMARY

The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and devicefor distinguishing data formats, and a communication device.

A method for distinguishing data formats according to the embodiments ofthe present disclosure includes: receiving a downlink data packet by aterminal, and determining by the terminal whether a data format of thedownlink data packet is a first data format or a second data format,where the first data format indicates that the downlink data packet isencrypted with a first key of a source base station and/or compressedwith a first ROHC profile of the source base station, and the seconddata format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted with asecond key of a target base station and/or compressed with a second ROHCprofile of the target base station.

A method for distinguishing data formats according to the embodiments ofthe present disclosure includes: receiving a uplink data packet by anetwork, and determining by the network whether a data format of theuplink data packet is a first data format or a second data format, wherethe first data format indicates that the uplink data packet is encryptedwith a first key of a source base station and/or compressed with a firstROHC profile of the source base station, and the second data formatindicates that the uplink data packet is encrypted with a second key ofa target base station and/or compressed with a second ROHC profile ofthe target base station.

A communication device according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure includes a processor and a memory. The memory is used tostore a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run thecomputer program stored in the memory to perform the above-mentionedmethod for distinguishing data formats.

A chip according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is used toimplement the above-mentioned method for distinguishing data formats.

Specifically, the chip includes a processor, configured to call and runa computer program from a memory, to cause a device installed with thechip to perform the above-mentioned method for distinguishing dataformats.

A computer-readable storage medium according to the embodiments of thepresent disclosure is used to store a computer program which causes acomputer to perform the above-mentioned method for distinguishing dataformats.

A computer program product according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure includes computer program instructions, which cause acomputer to perform the above-mentioned method for distinguishing dataformats.

A computer program according to the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, when running on a computer, causes the computer to performthe above-mentioned method for distinguishing data formats.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are used to provide a furtherunderstanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of thepresent disclosure. The exemplary embodiments and descriptions of thepresent disclosure are used to explain the present disclosure, and donot constitute an improper limitation of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architectureaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a first flowchart of a method for distinguishing data formatsaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a second flowchart of a method for distinguishing data formatsaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4(a) is a first schematic diagram of data forwarding according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4(b) is a second schematic diagram of data forwarding according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a third flowchart of a method for distinguishing data formatsaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a first structural diagram of a device for distinguishing dataformats according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a second structural diagram of a device for distinguishingdata formats according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosurewill be described below in conjunction with the drawings in theembodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the describedembodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, butnot all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the presentdisclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill inthe art without creative work fall within the protection scope of thepresent disclosure.

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure canbe applied to various communication systems, such as a Global System ofMobile (GSM) communication system, a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system,a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Long Term Evolution (LTE)system, a LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, a LTE TimeDivision Duplex (TDD) system, a Universal Mobile TelecommunicationSystem (UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)communication system, a 5G system, etc.

For example, a communication system to which the embodiments of thepresent disclosure are applied is as shown in FIG. 1. The communicationsystem 100 may include a network device 110 which may be a device thatcommunicates with a terminal 120 (or referred to as a communicationterminal or a terminal). The network device 110 can providecommunication coverage for a specific geographic area and cancommunicate with terminals located in the coverage area. Optionally, thenetwork device 110 can be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a GSMsystem or a CDMA system, a NodeB (NB) in a WCDMA system, an EvolutionalNode B (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, or a wireless controller in aCloud Radio Access Network (CRAN). Alternatively, the network device canbe a mobile switching center, a relay station, an access point, anon-board device, a wearable device, a hub, a switch, a bridge, a router,a network side device in 5G network, a network device in futureevolutional Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), or the like.

The communication system 100 also includes at least one terminal 120located within the coverage range of the network device 110. As usedherein, the terminal includes, but is not limited to, a deviceconfigured to receive/send communication signals and/or an Internet ofThings (IoT) device, which may be connected with another device viawired lines, such as Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), DigitalSubscriber Line (DSL), digital cables, and direct cable connections;and/or via another data connection/network; and/or via a wirelessinterface, such as cellular networks, wireless local area networks(WLAN), digital TV networks such as DVB-H networks, satellite networks,AM-FM broadcast transmitter. A terminal configured to communicatethrough a wireless interface may be referred to as a “wirelesscommunication terminal”, a “wireless terminal” or a “mobile terminal”.Examples of the mobile terminal include but are not limited to satelliteor cellular phones; Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals thatcan combine cellular radio phones with data processing, fax, and datacommunication capabilities; PDAs that may include radio phones, pagers,Internet/intranet access, Web browser, memo pad, calendar, and/or GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver; and conventional laptop and/orpalmtop receivers or other electronic devices including radio telephonetransceivers. The terminal device may refer to access terminals, userequipment (UE), user units, user stations, mobile stations, mobilesites, remote stations, remote terminals, mobile equipment, userterminals, terminals, wireless communication equipment, user agents, oruser device. The access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordlessphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop(WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and wirelesscommunication functional handheld devices, computing devices or otherprocessing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices,wearable devices, terminals in 5G networks, terminals in the futureevolution of PLMN, or the like.

Optionally, Device to Device (D2D) communication may be performedbetween the terminals 120.

Optionally, the 5G system or 5G network may also be referred to as a NewRadio (NR) system or NR network.

FIG. 1 exemplarily shows one network device and two terminals.Optionally, the communication system 100 may include multiple networkdevices and other number of terminals can be included in the coverage ofeach network device, which is not particularly limited in theembodiments of the present disclosure.

Optionally, the communication system 100 may also include other networkentities such as a network controller and a mobility management entity,which are not limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the device with a communication function inthe network and/or system of the embodiments of the present disclosuremay be referred to as the communication device. Taking the communicationsystem 100 shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the communication device mayinclude a network device 110 and terminals 120 which have thecommunication function. The network device 110 and the terminals 120 maybe the specific devices as described above, which will not be repeatedhere. The communication device may also include other devices in thecommunication system 100, such as a network controller, a mobilitymanagement entity, and other network entities, which are not limited inthe embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that the terms “system” and “network” are oftenused interchangeably herein. The term “and/or” used herein is merely todescribe relative relationships of relative objects, indicating thatthere can be three kinds of relationships. For example, A and/or B canindicate three cases where A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously,or B exists alone. In addition, the character “/” used herein generallyindicates that the related objects before and after this character arein an “or” relationship.

FIG. 2 is a first schematic flowchart of a method for distinguishingdata formats according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 2, the method for distinguishing data formats includes thefollowing steps.

In step 201, a terminal receives a downlink data packet, and determineswhether a data format of the downlink data packet is a first data formator a second data format, where the first data format indicates that thedownlink data packet is encrypted with a first key of a source basestation and/or compressed with a first ROHC profile of the source basestation, and the second data format indicates that the downlink datapacket is encrypted with a second key of a target base station and/orcompressed with a second ROHC profile of the target base station.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may be anydevice capable of communicating with the network, such as a mobilephone, a tablet, a notebook, a vehicle-mounted terminal, and the like.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base stationrefers to a source base station in the handover process, and the targetbase station refers to a target base station in the handover process.The source base station and the target base station may be of the sametype or different types. For example, the source base station is an LTEbase station (i.e., eNB), and the target base station is an NR basestation (i.e., gNB). For another example, the source base station andthe target base station are both LTE base stations (i.e., eNBs) or bothNR base stations (i.e., gNBs).

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the handover process isimplemented based on the DC architecture. On this basis, during thehandover process, the source base station and the target base stationmay communicate with the terminal simultaneously, where the source basestation side has its own first key and/or first ROHC profile, the targetbase station side has its own second key and/or second ROHC profile, thefirst key and/or first ROHC profile of the source base station is usedfor the data packets transmitted between the terminal and the sourcebase station, and the second key and/or the second ROHC profile of thetarget base station is used for the data packets transmitted between theterminal and the target base station.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the downlinkdata packet, the terminal needs to determine whether the data format ofthe downlink data packet is the first data format or the second dataformat, where the first data format indicates that the downlink datapacket is encrypted with the first key of the source base station and/orcompressed with the first ROHC profile of the source base station, andthe second data format indicates that the downlink data packet isencrypted with the second key of the target base station and/orcompressed with the second ROHC profile of the target base station.Further, if the downlink data packet is in the first data format, theterminal uses the first key to decrypt the downlink data packet and/oruses the first ROHC profile to decompress the downlink data packet, andif the downlink data packet is in the second data format, the terminaluses the second key to decrypt the downlink data packet and/or uses thesecond ROHC profile to decompress the downlink data packet.

For example, base station 1 is the source base station, and base station2 is the target base station, where base station 1 uses a key, K1, anduses a ROHC profile, ROHC profilel, and base station 2 uses a key, K2,and uses a ROHC profile, ROHC profile2. The terminal needs to supportboth {K1, ROHC profile1} and {K2, ROHC profile2}, the data packetstransmitted between the terminal and base station 1 areencrypted/decrypted with K1, and are compressed/decompressed with ROHCprofile1, and the data packets transmitted between the terminal and basestation 2 are encrypted/decrypted with K2, and arecompressed/decompressed with ROHC profile2. It should be noted that asending side of the data packets performs encryption and compressionoperations, and a receiving side of the data packets performs decryptionand decompression operations.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal may determinewhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format in the following manners.

Manner 1: The terminal determines whether the data format of thedownlink data packet is the first data format or the second data formatthrough first indication information.

The following describes how to distinguish between the first data formatand the second data format in combination with different implementationsof the first indication information.

1) The first indication information is carried in a handover command,and the handover command is sent by the source base station to theterminal.

Further, the first indication information includes at least a firstserial number of the PDCP layer.

Specifically, if a serial number of the downlink data packet received bythe terminal is less than the first serial number, the terminaldetermines that the data format of the downlink data packet is the firstdata format, and if the serial number of the downlink data packetreceived by the terminal is greater than the first serial number, theterminal determines that the data format of the downlink data packet isthe second data format.

For example, the handover command sent from the network side to theterminal carries SN=x, then: the downlink data packet with SN<x has thefirst data format, that is, the downlink data packet with SN<x isencrypted by the source base station with the first key and/orcompressed with the first ROHC profile; the downlink data packet withSN>x has the second data format, that is, the downlink data packet withSN>x is encrypted by the target base station with the second key and/orcompressed with the second ROHC profile; the downlink data packet withSN=x has the first data format or the second data format, that is, thedownlink data with SN=x can be encrypted by the source base station withthe first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, or thedownlink data with SN=x can be encrypted by the target base station withthe second key and/or compressed with the second ROHC profile.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink data packetbefore the first serial number is encrypted by the source base stationwith the first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, andthen is sent to the terminal; or the downlink data packet before thefirst serial number is encrypted by the source base station with thefirst key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, then isforwarded to the target base station, and is sent to the terminal by thetarget base station.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink data packetafter the first serial number is encrypted by the target base stationwith the second key and/or compressed with the second ROHC profile, andthen is sent to the terminal, or the downlink data packet after thefirst serial number is encrypted by the target base station with thesecond key and/or compressed with the second ROHC profile, then isforwarded to the source base station, and is sent to the terminal by thesource base station.

2) The first indication information is carried in a header of thedownlink data packet, and the first indication information is carried inthe header of the downlink data packet by the network side.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at leastfirst bit information, and a value of the first bit informationindicates whether the data format of the downlink data packet is thefirst data format or the second data format.

For example, the source base station carries 1-bit information in theheader of each downlink data packet sent to the terminal, when the valueof the 1-bit information is 1, it represents that the downlink datapacket has the first data format, that is, the downlink data packet isencrypted with the first key and/or compressed with the first ROHCprofile, and when the value of the 1-bit information is 0, it representsthat the downlink data packet has the second data format, that is, thedownlink data packet is encrypted with the second key and/or compressedwith the second ROHC profile.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the terminal determines anactivated state or a deactivated state of the first indicationinformation based on a first condition.

Specifically, when the terminal receives first RRC signaling, itactivates the first indication information, where the first RRCsignaling is used to instruct activation of the first indicationinformation, or when the terminal receives a handover command, itactivates the first indication information.

Specifically, when the terminal receives second RRC signaling, itdeactivates the first indication information, where the second RRCsignaling is used to instruct deactivation of the first indicationinformation; or when the handover is completed (that is, when the RRCreconfiguration is completed or the path switch is completed), theterminal deactivates the first indication information.

3) The first indication information is carried in third RRC signaling,and the third RRC signaling is sent by the source base station to theterminal after the source base station sends the last downlink datapacket to the terminal.

For example, after the source base station sends the last downlink datapacket to the terminal, it sends the first indication information to theterminal through the RRC signaling to instruct the terminal to switchthe first key to the second key, and/or switch the first ROHC profile tothe second ROHC profile.

Manner 2: The terminal determines whether the data format of thedownlink data packet is the first data format or the second data formatthrough a radio link control (RLC) entity corresponding to the downlinkdata packet.

Here, since the downlink data packet of the source base station is borneby a first RLC entity of the terminal and the downlink data packet ofthe target base station is borne by a second RLC entity of the terminal,if the downlink data packet received by the terminal is borne by thefirst RLC entity of the terminal, the terminal determines that the dataformat of the downlink data packet is the first data format, and if thedownlink data packet received by the terminal is borne by the second RLCentity of the terminal, the terminal determines that the data format ofthe downlink data packet is the second data format.

Manner 3: The terminal uses the first key and the second key to decryptthe downlink data packet, and/or uses the first ROHC profile and thesecond ROHC profile to compress the downlink data packet, and determineswhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format based on the decryption result and/orthe decompression result.

The terminal using the first key and the second key to decrypt thedownlink data packet includes that: the terminal first uses the firstkey to decrypt the downlink data packet, and then uses the second key todecrypt the downlink data packet; the terminal first uses the second keyto decrypt the downlink data packet, and then uses the first key todecrypt the downlink data packet; or the terminal first uses the keywith which the last downlink data packet has been successfully decryptedto decrypt the downlink data packet, and then uses the key with whichthe last downlink data packet is not successfully decrypted to decryptthe downlink data packet.

For example, base station 1 is the source base station, and base station2 is the target base station, where base station 1 uses a key, K1, anduses a ROHC profile, ROHC profile1, and base station 2 uses a key, K2,and uses a ROHC profile, ROHC profile2. When receiving the data packetn, the terminal first uses {K1, ROHC profile1} to perform the decryptionand decompression, and if it fails, it uses {K2, ROHC profile2} toperform the decryption and decompression. Alternatively, it first uses{K2, ROHC profile2} to perform the decryption and decompression, and ifit fails, it uses {K1, ROHC profile1} to perform the decryption anddecompression. Alternatively, it first uses the key and ROHC profilewith which the data packet n−1 is successfully decrypted anddecompressed to perform the decryption and decompression, and if itfails, it uses the other key and ROHC profile to perform the decryptionand decompression.

Manner 4: The terminal determines whether the data format of thedownlink data packet is the first data format or the second data formatthrough a first End Marker (EM).

The first EM indicates a last downlink data packet that is encryptedwith the first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile.Further, the first EM carries a serial number of the downlink datapacket.

1) When receiving second indication information, the source base stationforwards the downlink data packet to the target base station, and whenreceiving the downlink data packet forwarded by the source base station,the target base station sends the downlink data packet to the terminal.

Specifically, after the source base station receives a EM confirmationfeedback message sent by the terminal, it forwards the downlink datapacket to the target base station, or after the source base stationreceives a forwarding instruction message sent by the target basestation, it forwards the downlink data packet to the target basestation, where the forwarding instruction message is sent by the targetbase station to the source base station after the target base stationreceives the EM confirmation feedback message sent by the terminal, andthe EM confirmation feedback message is used for indicating that thefirst EM is correctly received by the terminal.

In the above solution, the EM confirmation feedback message received bythe source base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the sourcebase station side or a split bearer on the source base station side. TheEM confirmation feedback message received by the target base station isborne on the non-split bearer on the target base station side or thesplit bearer on the target base station side.

For example, refer to FIG. 4(a), which is a first schematic diagram ofdata forwarding according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.After the source base station receives the EM confirmation feedbackmessage through {circle around (1)} or {circle around (2)}, it forwardsthe downlink data packet to the target base station, or after the targetbase station receives the EM confirmation feedback message through{circle around (3)} or {circle around (4)}, it instructs the source basestation to forward the downlink data packet through a forwardinginstruction message. After the target base station receives the downlinkdata packet forwarded by the source base station, it directly sends itto the terminal. The EM confirmation feedback messages for {circlearound (1)} and {circle around (4)} are borne on the non-split bearer,and the EM confirmation feedback messages for {circle around (2)} and{circle around (3)} are borne on the split bearer.

Not limited thereto, the source base station may also forward thedownlink data packet to the target base station after receiving ahandover request confirmation feedback message.

In the above solution, when the target base station sends the downlinkdata packet to the terminal, it uses the second key to encrypt thedownlink data packet and/or uses the second ROHC profile to compress thedownlink data packet, and sends the downlink data packet having thesecond data format to the terminal.

In the above solution, the downlink data packet forwarded by the sourcebase station to the target base station includes: a downlink data packetthat is not sent by the source base station to the terminal and/or adownlink data packet that is sent by the source base station to theterminal but is not correctly received by the terminal.

2) The source base station forwards the downlink data packet to thetarget base station, and after the target base station receives thedownlink data packet forwarded by the source base station, it caches thedownlink data packet and does not send the downlink data packet to theterminal until the second indication information is received.

Specifically, after receiving the EM confirmation feedback message sentby the terminal, the target base station sends the downlink data packetto the terminal. Alternatively, after the target base station receives asending instruction message sent by the source base station, it sendsthe downlink data packet to the terminal, where the sending instructionmessage is sent by the source base station to the target base stationafter the source base station receives the EM confirmation feedbackmessage sent by the terminal, and the EM confirmation feedback messageis used for indicating that the first EM is correctly received by theterminal.

In the above solution, the EM confirmation feedback message received bythe target base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the targetbase station side or a split bearer on the target base station side. TheEM confirmation feedback message received by the source base station isborne on the non-split bearer on the source base station side or thesplit bearer on the source base station side.

For example, refer to FIG. 4(b), which is a second schematic diagram ofdata forwarding according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.The source base station directly forwards the downlink data packet tothe target base station, and after the target base station receives thedownlink data packet forwarded by the source base station, it caches thedownlink data packet and does not send it to the terminal until thetarget base station receives the EM confirmation feedback messagethrough {circle around (3)} or {circle around (4)}, or the target basestation does not send the downlink data packet to the terminal until thetarget base station receives the sending instruction message from thesource base station. Here, after receiving the EM confirmation feedbackmessage through {circle around (1)} or {circle around (2)}, the sourcebase station sends the sending instruction message to the target basestation. The EM confirmation feedback messages for {circle around (1)}and {circle around (4)} are borne on the non-split bearer, and the EMconfirmation feedback messages for {circle around (2)} and {circlearound (3)} are borne on the split bearer.

In the above solution, when the target base station sends the downlinkdata packet to the terminal, it uses the second key to encrypt thedownlink data packet and/or uses the second ROHC profile to compress thedownlink data packet, and sends the downlink data packet having thesecond data format to the terminal.

In the above solution, the downlink data packet forwarded by the sourcebase station to the target base station includes: a downlink data packetthat is not sent by the source base station to the terminal and/or adownlink data packet that is sent by the source base station to theterminal but is not correctly received by the terminal.

It should be noted that the downlink data packets in the above solutionare borne on Signaling Radio Bearers (SRBs) or Data Radio Bearers(DRBs).

FIG. 3 is a second schematic flowchart of a method for distinguishingdata formats according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 3, the method for distinguishing data formats includes thefollowing steps.

In step 301, a network receives a uplink data packet, and determineswhether a data format of the uplink data packet is a first data formator a second data format, where the first data format indicates that theuplink data packet is encrypted with a first key of a source basestation and/or compressed with a first ROHC profile of the source basestation, and the second data format indicates that the uplink datapacket is encrypted with a second key of a target base station and/orcompressed with a second ROHC profile of the target base station.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network receives theuplink data packet sent by the terminal, and the terminal may be anydevice capable of communicating with the network, such as a mobilephone, a tablet computer, a notebook, a vehicle-mounted terminal, andthe like.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base stationrefers to a source base station in the handover process, and the targetbase station refers to a target base station in the handover process.The source base station and the target base station may be of the sametype or different types. For example, the source base station is an LTEbase station (i.e., eNB), and the target base station is an NR basestation (i.e., gNB). For another example, the source base station andthe target base station are both LTE base stations (i.e., eNBs) or bothNR base stations (i.e., gNBs).

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover process isimplemented based on the DC architecture. On this basis, during thehandover process, the source base station and the target base stationmay communicate with the terminal simultaneously, where the source basestation side has its own first key and/or first ROHC profile, the targetbase station side has its own second key and/or second ROHC profile, thefirst key and/or first ROHC profile of the source base station is usedfor the data packets transmitted between the terminal and the sourcebase station, and the second key and/or the second ROHC profile of thetarget base station is used for the data packets transmitted between theterminal and the target base station.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the uplinkdata packet, the network needs to determine whether the data format ofthe uplink data packet is the first data format or the second dataformat, where the first data format indicates that the uplink datapacket is encrypted with the first key of the source base station and/orcompressed with the first ROHC profile of the source base station, andthe second data format indicates that the uplink data packet isencrypted with the second key of the target base station and/orcompressed with the second ROHC profile of the target base station.Further, if the uplink data packet is in the first data format, thenetwork uses the first key to decrypt the uplink data packet and/or usesthe first ROHC profile to decompress the uplink data packet, and if theuplink data packet is in the second data format, the network uses thesecond key to decrypt the uplink data packet and/or uses the second ROHCprofile to decompress the uplink data packet.

For example, base station 1 is the source base station, and base station2 is the target base station, where base station 1 uses a key, K1, anduses a ROHC profile, ROHC profile1, and base station 2 uses a key, K2,and uses a ROHC profile, ROHC profile2. The terminal needs to supportboth {K1, ROHC profile1} and {K2, ROHC profile2}, the data packetstransmitted between the terminal and base station 1 areencrypted/decrypted with K1, and are compressed/decompressed with ROHCprofile1, and the data packets transmitted between the terminal and basestation 2 are encrypted/decrypted with K2, and arecompressed/decompressed with ROHC profile2. It should be noted that asending side of the data packets performs encryption and compressionoperations, and a receiving side of the data packets performs decryptionand decompression operations.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the network may determinewhether the data format of the uplink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format in the following manners.

Manner 1: The network determines whether the data format of the uplinkdata packet is the first data format or the second data format throughfirst indication information.

The following describes how to distinguish between the first data formatand the second data format in combination with different implementationsof the first indication information.

1) The first indication information is carried in a header of the uplinkdata packet, and the first indication information is carried in theheader of the uplink data packet by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at leastfirst bit information, and a value of the first bit informationindicates whether the data format of the uplink data packet is the firstdata format or the second data format.

For example, 1-bit information is carried in the header of each uplinkdata packet sent to the network by the terminal, when the value of the1-bit information is 1, it represents that the uplink data packet hasthe first data format, that is, the uplink data packet is encrypted withthe first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, and whenthe value of the 1-bit information is 0, it represents that the uplinkdata packet has the second data format, that is, the uplink data packetis encrypted with the second key and/or compressed with the second ROHCprofile.

2) The first indication information is carried in fourth RRC signalingwhich is sent by the terminal to the target base station after theterminal sends the last uplink data packet to the source base station.

For example, after the terminal sends the last uplink data packet to thesource base station, it sends the first indication information to thetarget base station through the RRC signaling to indicate that theterminal has switched the first key to the second key, and/or switchedthe first ROHC profile to the second ROHC profile.

Further, the first indication information is also used for indicating anidentity of the target base station. It should be noted that in theconditional handover scenario, the handover command (HO command)includes the information and handover conditions of multiple target basestations. When the terminal detects that a certain target base stationmeets the handover conditions, it switches to this target base station,and the first indication information may carry the identity of thetarget base station.

Manner 2: The network determines whether the data format of the uplinkdata packet is the first data format or the second data format through aRLC entity corresponding to the uplink data packet.

Here, the uplink data packet of the source base station is borne by thefirst RLC entity of the source base station, and the uplink data packetof the target base station is borne by the second RLC entity of thetarget base station, accordingly, if the uplink data packet received bythe network is borne by the first RLC entity of the source base station,the network determines that the data format of the uplink data packet isthe first data format, and if the uplink data packet received by thenetwork is borne by the second RLC entity of the target base station,the network determines that the data format of the uplink data packet isthe second data format.

For example, the terminal bears the uplink data packet with the firstdata format on the first RLC entity, and bears the uplink data packetwith the second data format on the second RLC entity. The network sidecan determine whether the data format of the uplink data packet is thefirst data format or the second data format based on the RLC entitybearing the uplink data packet.

Manner 3: The network uses the first key and the second key to decryptthe uplink data packet, and/or uses the first ROHC profile and thesecond ROHC profile to compress the uplink data packet, and determineswhether the data format of the uplink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format based on the decryption result and/orthe decompression result.

The network using the first key and the second key to decrypt the uplinkdata packet includes that: the network first uses the first key todecrypt the uplink data packet, and then uses the second key to decryptthe uplink data packet; the network first uses the second key to decryptthe uplink data packet, and then uses the first key to decrypt theuplink data packet; or the network first uses the key with which thelast uplink data packet has been successfully decrypted to decrypt theuplink data packet, and then uses the key with which the last uplinkdata packet is not successfully decrypted to decrypt the uplink datapacket.

Manner 4: The network determines whether the data format of the uplinkdata packet is the first data format or the second data format through asecond EM.

The second EM indicates a last uplink data packet that is encrypted withthe first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile. Further,the second EM carries a serial number of the uplink data packet.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, after confirming that thesecond EM is correctly received by the network, the terminal uses thesecond key to encrypt the uplink data packet to be sent and/or uses thesecond ROHC profile to compress the uplink data packet to be sent.Further, after confirming that the second EM and all uplink data packetsbefore the second EM are correctly received by the network, the terminaluses the second key to encrypt the uplink data packet to be sent and/oruses the second ROHC profile to compress the uplink data packet to besent.

In the above solution, the terminal confirming that the second EM iscorrectly received by the network includes that the terminal receives aEM confirmation feedback message sent by the target base station, orthat the terminal receives the EM confirmation feedback message sent bythe source base station, where the EM confirmation feedback message isused for indicating that the second EM is correctly received by thenetwork.

In the above solution, after receiving the second EM, the source basestation sends the EM confirmation feedback message to the terminal, andnotifies the target base station that the network side has received thesecond EM. Alternatively, after receiving the second EM, the source basestation notifies the target base station that the network side hasreceived the second EM, and the target base station sends the EMconfirmation feedback message to the terminal.

For Manner 4, the terminal sends the second EM to the network side forthe network side to determine whether the data format of the receiveduplink data packet is the first data format or the second data format.The second EM represents the last uplink data packet encrypted with thefirst key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile. In this way,before receiving the second EM, the network side uses the first keyand/or the first ROHC profile, and after receiving the second EM, thenetwork side uses the second key and/or the second ROHC profile.

It should be noted that the uplink data packet in the above solution isborne on the SRB or DRB.

FIG. 5 is a third schematic flowchart of a method for distinguishingdata formats according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Asshown in FIG. 5, the method for distinguishing data formats includes thefollowing steps.

In step 501, a terminal sends a uplink data packet, the uplink datapacket having a first data format or a second data format, where thefirst data format indicates that the uplink data packet is encryptedwith a first key of a source base station and/or compressed with a firstROHC profile of the source base station, and the second data formatindicates that the uplink data packet is encrypted with a second key ofa target base station and/or compressed with a second ROHC profile ofthe target base station.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may be anydevice capable of communicating with the network, such as a mobilephone, a tablet, a notebook, a vehicle-mounted terminal, and the like.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the source base stationrefers to a source base station in the handover process, and the targetbase station refers to a target base station in the handover process.The source base station and the target base station may be of the sametype or different types. For example, the source base station is an LTEbase station (i.e., eNB), and the target base station is an NR basestation (i.e., gNB). For another example, the source base station andthe target base station are both LTE base stations (i.e., eNBs) or bothNR base stations (i.e., gNB s).

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the handover process isimplemented based on the DC architecture. On this basis, during thehandover process, the source base station and the target base stationmay communicate with the terminal simultaneously, where the source basestation side has its own first key and/or first ROHC profile, the targetbase station side has its own second key and/or second ROHC profile, thefirst key and/or first ROHC profile of the source base station is usedfor the data packets transmitted between the terminal and the sourcebase station, and the second key and/or the second ROHC profile of thetarget base station is used for the data packets transmitted between theterminal and the target base station.

In step 502, the terminal indicates to a network whether the data formatof the uplink data packet is the first data format or the second dataformat.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terminal may indicateto the network whether the data format of the uplink data packet is thefirst data format or the second data format in the following manners.

Manner 1: The terminal sends first indication information to thenetwork, where the first indication information is used by the networkto determine whether the data format of the uplink data packet is thefirst data format or the second data format.

The following describes how to distinguish between the first data formatand the second data format in combination with different implementationsof the first indication information.

1) The terminal carries the first indication information in the headerof each uplink data packet sent to the network.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at leastfirst bit information, and a value of the first bit informationindicates whether the data format of the uplink data packet is the firstdata format or the second data format.

For example, 1-bit information is carried in the header of each uplinkdata packet sent to the network by the terminal, when the value of the1-bit information is 1, it represents that the uplink data packet hasthe first data format, that is, the uplink data packet is encrypted withthe first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, and whenthe value of the 1-bit information is 0, it represents that the uplinkdata packet has the second data format, that is, the uplink data packetis encrypted with the second key and/or compressed with the second ROHCprofile.

2) The terminal sends fourth RRC signaling to the network, and thefourth RRC signaling carries the first indication information, where thefourth RRC signaling is sent to the target base station by the terminalafter a last one of the uplink data packets is sent to the source basestation by the terminal.

For example, after the terminal sends the last uplink data packet to thesource base station, it sends the first indication information to thetarget base station through the RRC signaling to indicate that theterminal has switched the first key to the second key, and/or switchedthe first ROHC profile to the second ROHC profile.

Manner 2: the terminal bears the uplink data packet with the first dataformat on the first RLC entity, and bears the uplink data packet withthe second data format on the second RLC entity. The network side candetermine whether the data format of the uplink data packet is the firstdata format or the second data format based on the RLC entity bearingthe uplink data packet.

Manner 3: The terminal sends a second EM to the network, where thesecond EM is used by the network to determine whether the data format ofthe uplink data packet is the first data format or the second dataformat.

The second EM indicates the last uplink data packet that is encryptedwith the first key and/or compressed with the first ROHC profile.Further, the second EM carries the serial number of the uplink datapacket.

In this way, before receiving the second EM, the network side uses thefirst key and/or the first ROHC profile, and after receiving the secondEM, the network side uses the second key and/or the second ROHC profile.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, after confirming that thesecond EM is correctly received by the network, the terminal uses thesecond key to encrypt the uplink data packet to be sent and/or uses thesecond ROHC profile to compress the uplink data packet to be sent.Further, after confirming that the second EM and all uplink data packetsbefore the second EM are correctly received by the network, the terminaluses the second key to encrypt the uplink data packet to be sent and/oruses the second ROHC profile to compress the uplink data packet to besent.

In the above solution, the terminal confirming that the second EM iscorrectly received by the network includes that the terminal receivesthe EM confirmation feedback message sent by the target base station, orthat the terminal receives the EM confirmation feedback message sent bythe source base station, where the EM confirmation feedback message isused for indicating that the second EM is correctly received by thenetwork.

In the above solution, after receiving the second EM, the source basestation sends the EM confirmation feedback message to the terminal, andnotifies the target base station that the network side has received thesecond EM. Alternatively, after receiving the second EM, the source basestation notifies the target base station that the network side hasreceived the second EM, and the target base station sends the EMconfirmation feedback message to the terminal.

FIG. 6 is a first schematic structural diagram of a device fordistinguishing data formats according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 6, the device includes: a receiving unit601 configured to receive a downlink data packet; and a determining unit602 configured to determine whether a data format of the downlink datapacket is a first data format or a second data format, where the firstdata format indicates that the downlink data packet is encrypted with afirst key of a source base station and/or compressed with a first ROHCprofile of the source base station, and the second data format indicatesthat the downlink data packet is encrypted with a second key of a targetbase station and/or compressed with a second ROHC profile of the targetbase station.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: a parsing unit 603configured to decrypt the downlink data packet with the first key and/ordecompress the downlink data packet with the first ROHC profile when thedownlink data packet is in the first data format, and to decrypt thedownlink data packet with the second key and/or decompress the downlinkdata packet with the second ROHC profile when the downlink data packetis in the second data format.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 602 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through first indication information.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is carried in ahandover command, and the handover command is sent by the source basestation to the terminal.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at least afirst serial number of the PDCP layer.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 602 determines that the dataformat of the downlink data packet is the first data format when aserial number of the downlink data packet received by the terminal isless than the first serial number; and the determining unit 602determines that the data format of the downlink data packet is thesecond data format when the serial number of the downlink data packetreceived by the terminal is greater than the first serial number.

In an embodiment, the downlink data packets before the first serialnumber are encrypted by the source base station with the first keyand/or compressed with the first ROHC profile, and then are sent to theterminal; or the downlink data packets before the first serial numberare encrypted by the source base station with the first key and/orcompressed with the first ROHC profile, forwarded to the target basestation by the target base station, and sent to the terminal by thetarget base station.

In an embodiment, the downlink data packets after the first serialnumber are encrypted by the target base station with the second keyand/or compressed with the second ROHC profile, and then sent to theterminal; or the downlink data packets after the first serial number areencrypted by the target base station with the second key and/orcompressed with the second ROHC profile, forwarded to the source basestation by the target base station, and sent to the terminal by thesource base station.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is carried in aheader of the downlink data packet, and the first indication informationis carried in the header of the downlink data packet by the networkside.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at leastfirst bit information, and a value of the first bit informationindicates whether the data format of the downlink data packet is thefirst data format or the second data format.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 602 is further configured todetermine an activated state or deactivated state of the firstindication information based on a first condition.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: an activation unit (notshown) configured to activate the first indication information whenfirst RRC signaling is received, where the first RRC signaling is usedfor instructing to activate the first indication information, orconfigured to activate the first indication information when a handovercommand is received.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: a deactivation unit (notshown) configured to deactivate the first indication information whensecond RRC signaling is received, where the second RRC signaling is usedfor instructing to deactivate the first indication information, orconfigured to deactivate the first indication information when thehandover is completed.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is carried in thirdRRC signaling, and the third RRC signaling is sent by the source basestation to the terminal after the source base station sends the lastdownlink data packet to the terminal.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 602 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through a RLC entity corresponding tothe downlink data packet.

In an embodiment, the downlink data packet of the source base station isborne on a first RLC entity of the terminal, and the downlink datapacket of the target base station is borne on a second RLC entity of theterminal; the determining unit 602 determines that the data format ofthe downlink data packet is the first data format when the downlink datapacket received by the receiving unit 601 is borne on the first RLCentity of the terminal; and the determining unit 602 determines that thedata format of the downlink data packet is the second data format whenthe downlink data packet received by the receiving unit 601 is borne onthe second RLC entity of the terminal.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: a parsing unit 603configured to decrypt the downlink data packet with the first key andthe second key, and/or decompress the downlink data packet with thefirst ROHC profile and the second ROHC profile, the determining unit 602is configured to determine whether the data format of the downlink datapacket is the first data format or the second data format based on thedecryption result and/or the decompression result.

In an embodiment, the parsing unit 603 is configured to: decrypt thedownlink data packet first with the first key, and then decrypt thedownlink data packet with the second key; decrypt the downlink datapacket first with the second key, and then decrypt the downlink datapacket with the first key; or decrypt the downlink data packet firstwith the key with which the last downlink data packet has beensuccessfully decrypted, and then decrypt the downlink data packet withthe key with which the last downlink data packet is not successfullydecrypted.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 602 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through a first EM.

In an embodiment, the first EM represents the last downlink data packetthat is encrypted with the first key and/or compressed with the firstROHC profile.

In an embodiment, the first EM carries a serial number of the downlinkdata packet.

In an embodiment, when receiving second indication information, thesource base station forwards the downlink data packet to the target basestation, and when receiving the downlink data packet forwarded by thesource base station, the target base station sends the downlink datapacket to the terminal.

In an embodiment, the source base station forwarding the downlink datapacket to the target base station when receiving the second indicationinformation includes that: the source base station forwards the downlinkdata packet to the target base station after receiving an EMconfirmation feedback message sent by the terminal; or the source basestation forwards the downlink data packet to the target base stationafter receiving a forwarding instruction message sent by the target basestation, where the forwarding instruction message is sent to the sourcebase station by the target base station after the target base stationreceives the EM confirmation feedback message sent by the terminal,where the EM confirmation feedback message is used for indicating thatthe first EM is correctly received by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the EM confirmation feedback message received by thesource base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the source basestation side or on a split bearer on the source base station side.

In an embodiment, the EM confirmation feedback message received by thetarget base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the target basestation side or on a split bearer on the target base station side.

In an embodiment, the source base station forwards the downlink datapacket to the target base station, and after the target base stationreceives the downlink data packet forwarded by the source base station,it caches the downlink data packet and does not send the downlink datapacket to the terminal until the second indication information isreceived.

In an embodiment, sending the downlink data packet to the terminal afterthe second indication information is received includes that: the targetbase station sends the downlink data packet to the terminal afterreceiving the EM confirmation feedback message sent by the terminal; orthe target base station sends the downlink data packet to the terminalafter receiving a sending instruction message sent by the source basestation, the sending instruction message being sent to the target basestation by the source base station after the source base stationreceives the EM confirmation feedback message sent by the terminal,where the EM confirmation feedback message is used for indicating thatthe first EM is correctly received by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the EM confirmation feedback message received by thetarget base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the target basestation side or on a split bearer on the target base station side.

In an embodiment, the EM confirmation feedback message received by thesource base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the source basestation side or on a split bearer on the source base station side.

In an embodiment, sending the downlink data packet by the target basestation to the terminal includes encrypting the downlink data packetwith the second key and/or compressing the downlink data packet with thesecond ROHC profile and sending the downlink data packet having thesecond data format to the terminal by the target base station.

In an embodiment, the downlink data packet forwarded by the source basestation to the target base station includes: a downlink data packet thatis not sent by the source base station to the terminal and/or a downlinkdata packet that is sent by the source base station to the terminal butnot correctly received by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the downlink data packet is borne on a SRB or a DataRadio Bearer (DRB).

Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant descriptionof the foregoing device for distinguishing data formats in theembodiments of the present disclosure can be understood with referenceto the relevant description of the method for distinguishing dataformats in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a second schematic structural diagram of a device fordistinguishing data formats according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the device includes a receiving unit 701configured to receive a uplink data packet; and a determining unit 702configured to determine whether a data format of the uplink data packetis a first data format or a second data format, where the first dataformat indicates that the uplink data packet is encrypted with a firstkey of a source base station and/or compressed with a first ROHC profileof the source base station, and the second data format indicates thatthe uplink data packet is encrypted with a second key of a target basestation and/or compressed with a second ROHC profile of the target basestation.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: a parsing unit 703configured to decrypt the uplink data packet with the first key and/ordecompress the uplink data packet with the first ROHC profile when theuplink data packet is in the first data format, and to decrypt theuplink data packet with the second key and/or decompress the uplink datapacket with the second ROHC profile when the uplink data packet is inthe second data format.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 702 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the uplink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through first indication information.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is carried in aheader of the uplink data packet, and the first indication informationis carried in the header of the uplink data packet by the terminal.

In an embodiment, the first indication information includes at leastfirst bit information, and a value of the first bit informationindicates whether the data format of the uplink data packet is the firstdata format or the second data format.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is carried in fourthRRC signaling which is sent by the terminal to the target base stationafter the terminal sends the last uplink data packet to the source basestation.

In an embodiment, the first indication information is also used forindicating an identity of the target base station.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 702 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the uplink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through a RLC entity corresponding tothe uplink data packet.

In an embodiment, the uplink data packet of the source base station isborne on a first RLC entity of the source base station, and the uplinkdata packet of the target base station is borne on a second RLC entityof the target base station; the determining unit 702 determines that thedata format of the uplink data packet is the first data format when theuplink data packet received by the receiving unit 701 is borne on thefirst RLC entity of the source base station; and the determining unit702 determines that the data format of the uplink data packet is thesecond data format when the uplink data packet received by the receivingunit 701 is borne on the second RLC entity of the target base station.

In an embodiment, the device further includes: a parsing unit 703configured to decrypt the uplink data packet with the first key and thesecond key, and/or decompress the uplink data packet with the first ROHCprofile and the second ROHC profile, the determining unit 702 isconfigured to determine whether the data format of the uplink datapacket is the first data format or the second data format based on thedecryption result and/or the decompression result.

In an embodiment, the parsing unit 703 is configured to: decrypt theuplink data packet first with the first key, and then decrypt the uplinkdata packet with the second key; decrypt the uplink data packet firstwith the second key, and then decrypt the uplink data packet with thefirst key; or decrypt the uplink data packet first with the key withwhich the last uplink data packet has been successfully decrypted, andthen decrypt the uplink data packet with the key with which the lastuplink data packet is not successfully decrypted.

In an embodiment, the determining unit 702 is configured to determinewhether the data format of the uplink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format through a second EM.

In an embodiment, the second EM represents the last uplink data packetthat is encrypted with the first key and/or compressed with the firstROHC profile.

In an embodiment, the second EM carries a serial number of the uplinkdata packet.

In an embodiment, after confirming that the second EM is correctlyreceived by the network, the terminal uses the second key to encrypt theuplink data packet to be sent and/or uses the second ROHC profile tocompress the uplink data packet to be sent.

In an embodiment, after confirming that the second EM and all uplinkdata packets before the second EM are correctly received by the network,and the terminal uses the second key to encrypt the uplink data packetto be sent and/or uses the second ROHC profile to compress the uplinkdata packet to be sent.

In an embodiment, the terminal confirming that the second EM iscorrectly received by the network includes that: the terminal receives aEM confirmation feedback message sent by the target base station; or theterminal receives the EM confirmation feedback message sent by thesource base station, where the EM confirmation feedback message is usedfor indicating that the second EM is correctly received by the network.

In an embodiment, after receiving the second EM, the source base stationsends the EM confirmation feedback message to the terminal, and notifiesthe target base station that the network side has received the secondEM; or after receiving the second EM, the source base station notifiesthe target base station that the network side has received the secondEM, and the target base station sends the EM confirmation feedbackmessage to the terminal.

In an embodiment, the uplink data packet is borne on a SRB or DRB.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the relevant descriptionof the foregoing device for distinguishing data formats in theembodiments of the present disclosure can be understood with referenceto the relevant description of the method for distinguishing dataformats in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communicationdevice can be a terminal or a network device, such as a base station.The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 8 includes a processor 610which can invoke and execute a computer program from a memory to carryout the methods in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication device 600 can furtherinclude a memory 620. The processor 610 can invoke and run the computerprogram from the memory 620 to carry out the methods in the embodimentsof the present disclosure.

The memory 620 can be a separate device independent of the processor610, or can be integrated in the processor 610.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 8, the communication device 600 can furtherinclude a transceiver 630, and the processor 610 can control thetransceiver 630 to communicate with other devices, and specifically, totransmit information or data to other devices, or receive information ordata transmitted from other devices.

The transceiver 630 can include a transmitter and a receiver. Thetransceiver 630 can further include one or more antennas.

Optionally, the communication device 600 can specifically be a networkdevice in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and thecommunication device 600 can carry out the corresponding processes whichare implemented by the network device in the methods of the embodimentsof the present disclosure, which will not be repeated here for the sakeof brevity.

Optionally, the communication device 600 can specifically be a mobileterminal/terminal in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and thecommunication device 600 can implement the corresponding processes whichare implemented by the mobile terminal/terminal in the methods accordingto the embodiments of the present disclosure, which will not be repeatedhere for the sake of brevity.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. The chip 700 shown in FIG. 9includes a processor 710 which can invoke and run a computer programfrom a memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 9, the chip 700 can further include amemory 720. The processor 710 can invoke and run the computer programfrom the memory 720 to implement the methods in the embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

The memory 720 can be a separate device independent of the processor710, or can be integrated in the processor 710.

Optionally, the chip 700 can further include an input interface 730. Theprocessor 710 can control the input interface 730 to communicate withother devices or chips, and particularly to obtain information or datatransmitted by other devices or chips.

Optionally, the chip 700 can further include an output interface 740.The processor 710 can control the output interface 740 to communicatewith other devices or chips, and particularly to output information ordata to other devices or chips.

Optionally, the chip can be applied to the network device in theembodiments of the present disclosure, and the chip can carry out thecorresponding processes which are implemented by the network device inthe methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure, which will notbe repeated here for the sake of brevity.

Optionally, the chip can be applied to the mobile terminal/terminal inthe embodiments of the present disclosure, and the chip can implementthe corresponding processes which are implemented by the mobileterminal/terminal in the methods of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiments ofthe present disclosure can also be referred to as a system-level chip, asystem chip, a chip system, or a system-on-chip.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 900according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.10, the communication system 900 includes a terminal 910 and a networkdevice 920.

The terminal 910 can be configured to carry out the correspondingfunctions implemented by the terminal in the above methods, and thenetwork device 920 can be configured to carry out the correspondingfunctions implemented by the network device in the above methods, whichwill not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

It should be understood that the processor of the embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be an integrated circuit chip with signalprocessing capability. In the implementations, the steps of theforegoing method embodiments can be performed by an integrated logiccircuit of hardware in the processor or by instructions in a form ofsoftware. The foregoing processor can be a general-purpose processor, aDigital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), anotherprogrammable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, ora discrete hardware component, which can implement the methods, steps,and logical blocks disclosed in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, anyconventional processor or the like. The steps of the methods disclosedin connection with the embodiments of the present disclosure can bedirectly embodied in and performed by a hardware decoding processor, orcan be implemented by a combination of hardware and software modules inthe decoding processor. The software modules can be located in a maturestorage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flashmemory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, anelectrically erasable programmable memory or a register. The storagemedium is located in the memory, and the processor reads information inthe memory and implements the steps of the above methods in combinationwith the hardware thereof

It can be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or mayinclude both the volatile and non-volatile memories. In an embodiment,the non-volatile memory can be a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a ProgrammableROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM) ora flash memory. The volatile memory may be a Random Access Memory (RAM),which is used as an external cache. By way of exemplary but notrestrictive description, many forms of RAMS are available, such as aStatic RAM (SRAM), a Dynamic RAM (DRAM), a Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), aDouble Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), an Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), aSynch-link DRAM (SLDRAM)) and a Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM). It should benoted that the memories of the systems and methods described herein areintended to include, but are not limited to, these and any othersuitable types of memories.

It should be understood that the foregoing description of the memory isexemplary rather than limiting. For example, the memory in theembodiments of the present disclosure can also be a Static RAM (SRAM), aDynamic RAM (DRAM), a Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a Double Data Rate SDRAM(DDR SDRAM), an Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), a Synch-Link DRAM (SLDRAM), aDirect Rambus RAM (DR RAM), among others. That is to say, the memory inthe embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to include but isnot limited to those and any other suitable types of memories.

The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide acomputer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program.

Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to thenetwork device in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and thecomputer program causes a computer to perform the correspondingprocesses which are implemented by the network device in the methods ofthe embodiments of the present disclosure, which will not be repeatedhere for the sake of brevity.

Optionally, the computer-readable storage medium can be applied to themobile terminal/terminal in the embodiments of the present disclosure,and the computer program causes the computer to perform thecorresponding processes which are implemented by the mobileterminal/terminal in the methods of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computerprogram product including computer program instructions.

Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the networkdevice in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the computerprogram instructions cause a computer to perform the correspondingprocesses implemented by the network device in the methods of theembodiments of the present disclosure, which will not be repeated herefor the sake of brevity.

Optionally, the computer program product can be applied to the mobileterminal/terminal in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and thecomputer program instructions cause a computer to perform thecorresponding processes implemented by the mobile terminal/terminal inthe methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure, which will notbe repeated here for the sake of brevity.

The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computerprogram.

Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the network device inthe embodiments of the present disclosure, and when running on acomputer, the computer program causes the computer to perform thecorresponding process implemented by the network device in the methodsof the embodiments of the present disclosure, which will not be repeatedhere for the sake of brevity.

Optionally, the computer program can be applied to the mobileterminal/terminal in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and whenrunning on a computer, causes the computer to perform the correspondingprocess implemented by the mobile terminal/terminal in the methods ofthe embodiments of the present disclosure, which will not be repeatedhere for the sake brevity.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can recognize that the exemplaryunits and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware or acombination of computer software and the electronic hardware. Whetherthese functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on thespecific applications of the technical solutions and design constraints.Various methods can be used by professional technicians to implement thedescribed functions for each specific application, and suchimplementations should not be considered as going beyond the scope ofthe present disclosure.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenienceand conciseness of the description, for the specific operating processof the systems, devices and units described above, reference can be madeto corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which willnot be repeated here.

It should be understood that the systems, devices, and methods disclosedin several embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented inother manners. For example, the device embodiments described above aremerely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only alogical function division, and in actual implementations, there can beother division manners. For example, a plurality of units or componentscan be combined or integrated into another system, or some features canbe ignored or not implemented. In addition, the coupling or directcoupling or communication connection shown or discussed herein can alsobe indirect coupling or communication connection through someinterfaces, devices or units, and can be in electrical, mechanical orother forms.

The units described as separate components may be or may not bephysically separated, and the components shown as units may be or maynot be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or maybe distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units canbe selected to achieve the objectives of the solutions of theembodiments according to actual requirements.

In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit canindividually exist physically, or two or more of the units can beintegrated into one unit.

If implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or usedas an independent product, the functions can be stored in acomputer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, thetechnical solution of the present disclosure essentially, a part thereofthat contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solutioncan be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computersoftware product is stored in a storage medium and includes instructionswhich enable a computer device (which may be a personal computer, aserver, a network device or the like) to perform all or part of thesteps of the methods described in the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The foregoing storage medium includes various medium such asa USB drive, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk or anoptical disc that can store program codes.

Those described above are only specific implementations of the presentdisclosure, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is notlimited thereto. Any alteration or replacement readily devised by aperson skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in thepresent disclosure shall fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosureshall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for distinguishing data formats,comprising: receiving, by a terminal, a downlink data packet; anddetermining, by the terminal, whether a data format of the downlink datapacket is a first data format or a second data format, wherein the firstdata format indicates that the downlink data packet is at least one ofencrypted with a first key of a source base station or compressed with afirst ROHC profile of the source base station, and the second dataformat indicates that the downlink data packet is at least one ofencrypted with a second key of a target base station or compressed witha second ROHC profile of the target base station.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: at least one of decrypting thedownlink data packet with the first key or decompressing the downlinkdata packet with the first ROHC profile, by the terminal when thedownlink data packet is in the first data format; and at least one ofdecrypting the downlink data packet with the second key or decompressingthe downlink data packet with the second ROHC profile, by the terminalwhen the downlink data packet is in the second data format.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the determining, by the terminal,whether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format comprises: determining, by the terminalthrough first indication information, whether the data format of thedownlink data packet is the first data format or the second data format.4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first indicationinformation is carried in a handover command, and the handover commandis sent to the terminal by the source base station, wherein the firstindication information includes at least a first serial number of aPacket Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, or wherein the terminaldetermines that the data format of the downlink data packet is the firstdata format when a serial number of the downlink data packet received bythe terminal is less than the first serial number; and the terminaldetermines that the data format of the downlink data packet is thesecond data format when the serial number of the downlink data packetreceived by the terminal is greater than the first serial number.
 5. Themethod according to claim 4, wherein: the downlink data packet beforethe first serial number is at least one of encrypted with the first keyor compressed with the first ROHC profile, and is sent to the terminalby the source base station; the downlink data packet before the firstserial number is at least one of encrypted with the first key orcompressed with the first ROHC profile, and is forwarded to the targetbase station by the source base station, and is sent to the terminal bythe target base station; the downlink data packet after the first serialnumber is at least one of encrypted with the second key or compressedwith the second ROHC profile, and is sent to the terminal by the targetbase station; or the downlink data packet after the first serial numberis at least one of encrypted with the second key or compressed with thesecond ROHC profile, and is forwarded to the source base station by thetarget base station, and is sent to the terminal by the source basestation.
 6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the firstindication information is carried in a header of the downlink datapacket, and the first indication information is carried in the header ofthe downlink data packet by the network side, or wherein the firstindication information comprises at least first bit information, and avalue of the first bit information indicates whether the data format ofthe downlink data packet is the first data format or the second dataformat, wherein the method further comprises: determining, by theterminal, an activated state or a deactivated state of the firstindication information based on a first condition.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein the determining, by the terminal, theactivated state of the first indication information based on the firstcondition comprises: activating the first indication information by theterminal when the terminal receives first RRC signaling, the first RRCsignaling being used for instructing activation of the first indicationinformation; or activating the first indication information by theterminal when the terminal receives a handover command, or wherein thedetermining, by the terminal, the deactivated state of the firstindication information based on the first condition comprises:deactivating the first indication information by the terminal when theterminal receives second RRC signaling, the second RRC signaling beingused for instructing deactivation of the first indication information;or deactivating the first indication information by the terminal whenthe terminal completes the handover.
 8. The method according to claim 3,wherein the first indication information is carried in third RRCsignaling, the third RRC signaling being sent to the terminal by thesource base station after a last downlink packet is sent to the terminalby the source base station.
 9. A method for distinguishing data formats,comprising: receiving an uplink data packet by a network; anddetermining by the network whether a data format of the uplink datapacket is a first data format or a second data format, wherein the firstdata format indicates that the uplink data packet is at least one ofencrypted with a first key of a source base station or compressed with afirst ROHC profile of the source base station, and the second dataformat indicates that the uplink data packet is at least one ofencrypted with a second key of a target base station or compressed witha second ROHC profile of the target base station.
 10. A terminal device,comprising: a transceiver configured to receive a downlink data packet;and a processor configured to determine whether a data format of thedownlink data packet is a first data format or a second data format,wherein the first data format indicates that the downlink data packet isat least one of encrypted with a first key of a source base station orcompressed with a first ROHC profile of the source base station, and thesecond data format indicates that the downlink data packet is at leastone of encrypted with a second key of a target base station orcompressed with a second ROHC profile of the target base station. 11.The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the processor isconfigured to determine, through a RLC entity corresponding to thedownlink data packet, whether the data format of the downlink datapacket is the first data format or the second data format, or whereinthe downlink data packet of the source base station is borne on a firstRLC entity of the terminal, and the downlink data packet of the targetbase station is borne on a second RLC entity of the terminal; theprocessor is configured to determine that the data format of thedownlink data packet is the first data format when the downlink datapacket received by the transceiver is borne on the first RLC entity ofthe terminal; and the processor is configured to determine that the dataformat of the downlink data packet is the second data format when thedownlink data packet received by the transceiver is borne on the secondRLC entity of the terminal.
 12. The terminal device according to claim10, wherein the processor is configured to at least one of decrypt thedownlink data packet with the first key and the second key, ordecompress the downlink data packet with the first ROHC profile and thesecond ROHC profile, wherein the processor is configured to determinewhether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format based on at least a decryption resultor a decompression result, or wherein the processor is configured to:decrypt the downlink data packet first with the first key, and thendecrypt the downlink data packet with the second key; decrypt thedownlink data packet first with the second key, and then decrypt thedownlink data packet with the first key; or decrypt the downlink datapacket first with the key with which a last downlink data packet hasbeen successfully decrypted, and then decrypt the downlink data packetwith the key with which the last downlink data packet is notsuccessfully decrypted.
 13. The terminal device according to claim 10,wherein the processor is configured to determine, through a first EM,whether the data format of the downlink data packet is the first dataformat or the second data format, or wherein the first EM indicates alast downlink data packet is at least one of encrypted with the firstkey or compressed with the first ROHC profile, or wherein the first EMcarries a serial number of the downlink data packet.
 14. The terminaldevice according to claim 13, wherein the source base station forwardsthe downlink data packet to the target base station when receivingsecond indication information, and the target base station sends thedownlink data packet to the terminal when receiving the downlink datapacket forwarded by the source base station, or wherein the source basestation forwarding the downlink data packet to the target base stationwhen receiving the second indication information comprises: forwardingthe downlink data packet to the target base station by the source basestation when the source base station receives an EM confirmationfeedback message sent by the terminal; or forwarding the downlink datapacket to the target base station by the source base station when thesource base station receives a forwarding instruction message sent bythe target base station, the forwarding instruction message being sentto the source base station by the target base station after the targetbase station receives the EM confirmation feedback message sent by theterminal, wherein the EM confirmation feedback message is used forindicating that the first EM is correctly received by the terminal. 15.The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the EM confirmationfeedback message received by the source base station is borne on anon-split bearer on the source base station side or on a split bearer onthe source base station side, or wherein the EM confirmation feedbackmessage received by the target base station is borne on a non-splitbearer on the target base station side or on a split bearer on thetarget base station side.
 16. The terminal device according to claim 13,wherein the source base station forwards the downlink data packet to thetarget base station, and when the target base station receives thedownlink data packet forwarded by the source base station, the targetbase station caches the downlink data packet and does not send thedownlink data packet to the terminal until second indication informationis received, wherein sending the downlink data packet to the terminalwhen the second indication information is received comprises: sending,by the target base station, the downlink data packet to the terminalwhen the target base station receives a EM confirmation feedback messagesent by the terminal; or sending, by the target base station, thedownlink data packet to the terminal when the target base stationreceives a sending instruction message sent by the source base station,the sending instruction message being sent to the target base station bythe source base station when the source base station receives the EMconfirmation feedback message sent by the terminal, wherein the EMconfirmation feedback message is used for indicating that the first EMis correctly received by the terminal.
 17. The terminal device accordingto claim 16, wherein the EM confirmation feedback message received bythe target base station is borne on a non-split bearer on the targetbase station side or on a split bearer on the target base station side,or wherein the EM confirmation feedback message received by the sourcebase station is borne on a non-split bearer on the source base stationside or on a split bearer on the source base station side.
 18. Theterminal device according to claim 14, wherein the sending the downlinkdata packet to the terminal by the target base station comprises: atleast one of encrypting the downlink data packet with the second key orcompressing the downlink data packet with the second ROHC profile by thetarget base station; and sending the downlink data packet having thesecond data format to the terminal by the target base station.
 19. Theterminal device according to claim 14, wherein the downlink data packetforwarded by the source base station to the target base stationcomprises at least one of a downlink data packet which is not sent bythe source base station to the terminal or a downlink data packet whichis sent by the source base station to the terminal but is not correctlyreceived by the terminal.
 20. The terminal device according to claim 10,wherein the downlink data packet is borne on a SRB or a DRB.